Snoring is the sound of soft tissues in the back of the mouth striking against each other and vibrating while one sleeps. The unpleasant snoring sounds are produced as a result of narrowing and partial obstruction of the upper airway at this site. Snoring is one of life's little annoyances, especially to one's bedmate. The familiar noise is the butt of countless jokes and a favorite sound effect for Saturday morning cartoons on television. But snoring can also be a serious medical problem.
In its most extreme form it is called obstructive sleep apnea and can be a signal of more serious problems that can lead to fatigue, high blood pressure, stroke, irregular heartbeat and irreversible heart disease. The commonly known snoring sounds have been traced to a number of soft tissues in the back of the mouth and throat, namely, the uvula, a fleshy tab visible at the rear of the mouth; the soft palate, the flesh that separates the roof of the mouth from the nasal cavity; the tongue; and the tonsils and adenoids. When a person is awake, there is no problem. However, while asleep in a supine position, muscles relax, and the tissues, unsupported by the nearby bone structure, collapse into the upper airway making the airway smaller. This decrease in the airway space increases the velocity of air flowing through the airway during breathing. As the velocity of required air is increased in the constricted space, soft tissues like the uvula and the soft palate vibrate. These vibrations of the soft tissues in the mouth and throat result in what is called "noisy breathing" or generally referred to as snoring.
Other than sleep disturbance and the social consequences stemming from the unpleasant snoring sounds, breathing generally may become abnormal and impaired as a result of the narrow and partially obstructed upper airway. Snoring has also been associated with the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, a serious condition characterized by periodic obstruction of the upper airway which most often occurs in persons who sleep in the supine position. Persons suffering from obstructive sleep apnea syndrome often experience choking and gasping which require arousal from sleep in order to relief the obstructed air way and breath normally.
Surgical techniques to remove obstructions in the uvula, soft palate, enlarged tonsils and adenoids have been among the many attempted snoring remedies. These soft tissue surgical procedures have shown only moderate success rates (e.g. 20% to 40%). In addition to only moderate success in correcting snoring conditions, surgical correction of snoring conditions are also extremely expensive, often require many days of post-operative recovery, and which generally leave the patient with substantial discomfort and pain.
As an alternative to surgery, oral devices or dental orthosises have been developed to eliminate snoring. These devices are generally affordable, non-invasive and comfortable in use. Research has shown that custom fabricated dental devices worn at night which move the lower jaw into a forward position, increase the three dimensional space in the airway tube which reduces air velocity and soft tissue vibration. By increasing the volumetric capacity of the airway and preventing soft tissue vibrations, snoring is substantially eliminated.
Various snore and stress reducing devices are known in the art and represented by U.S. Pat. Nos. 746,869, 1,674,336, 2,424,533, 3,132,647, 3,434,470, 4,304,227, 4,568,280, 5,092,346, 5,117,816, 5,277,202 and 5,427,117. Each of these known prior art devices are directed to preventing snoring, sleep apnea, and/or relieving stress caused by temporomandibular disorders by concentrating on only one part of the problem. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 746,869, 2,424,533, 3,434,470, 4,304,227, and 5,956,534 provide mouthpiece devices directed to regulating the ingress and egress of air inhaled and exhaled through the mouth. As previously explained, by attempting to control the quantity of air inhaled and exhaled, the vibration of the uvula and soft palate incident to snoring may be alleviated. These devices, however, rely to a great deal on the user's ability to breath through their nose. However, a patient will not be able to effectively use these devices if he/she is unable to breathe through the nose.
Other devices such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,427,117, is directed to a two-piece device comprising an upper arch fitted to the upper dentition and a lower arch fitted to the lower dentition. A post extends from the upper arch and contacts the lower arch so as to extend the user's jaw forward to open the user's airway and reduce the vibrations which result in snoring. This arrangement is, however, extremely uncomfortable since it is fitted to both the upper and lower dentition, which fixes their relative positions, inhibits natural mouth motions, and oftentimes leads to abrasions of the gums and inner cheeks of the user's mouth.
Another prior art arrangement for reducing snoring is exemplified by the device of U.S. Pat. No. 3,132,647 to Corniello. Corniello intends that his device will prevent snoring in the user by insuring an adequate air passage between the base of the tongue and the soft palate and that such a free air passage may be provided by depressing the rear portion of the tongue. His structure comprises a member adapted for engagement with a user's upper teeth and including means extending downward from the rear of the member to contact and depress the user's tongue. This device, has not found widespread use since many user's find the depression of the tongue to be irritating and uncomfortable.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,674,336 to King teaches another device for reducing snoring by maintaining a plentiful supply of oxygen to the blood of a user during sleep. King's structure comprises an upper channel and a lower channel to receive the upper and lower teeth, respectively. The two channels are spaced apart to prop the upper and lower front teeth apart and to create an air passage therebetween. Therefore, the device props the teeth of the user apart in a fixed position, which King claims opens the posterior airway to facilitate the passage of air to and from the throat and lungs. This, device however, is large and bulky, and places the teeth in a fixed position which thus prevents natural mouth movements and motion of the lower jaw.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,092,346, 5,277,202, 5,117,816 disclose anti-snoring devices which comprise upper elements adapted to be fitted upon the teeth of the upper dentition of the user. Each of these devices also include ramp or anterior portions which extend downward from the upper element and which engage some of the teeth of the lower dentition so as to cam or shift the lower jaw forward so as to provide an open airway and reduce snoring in the wearer. Although each of these devices engage only the upper dentition, the devices are large and occupy much of the area in the user's mouth. As such, the devices are provide with apertures or air chambers which extend through the device to permit the passage of air therethrough. Thus, although shifting the lower jaw forward opens the airways and reduces snoring, the size of the devices actually allow the passage of air into and out of the mouth only through relatively small apertures.
Accordingly, there is a need for an anti-snoring device which is small, lightweight, adaptable for removable engagement with the upper dentition of a user's mouth, and which is configured so as to provide easy and unobstructed breathing by the user.